Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo reported 6,000 Ebola cases and 2,911 deaths Monday, while health officials warned that the outbreak remains uncontrolled and could eventually surpass the 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed 2,911 people and infected approximately 6,000, authorities said Monday, as health officials struggle to contain what has been described as the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record.
More than 1,360 patients have recovered, according to figures cited by The Associated Press.
The World Health Organization has warned that the outbreak remains uncontrolled and could ultimately eclipse the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola epidemic, which remains the deadliest outbreak ever recorded.
“The World Health Organization has said that it remains out of control and is on track to surpass the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak, the deadliest on record, which killed more than 11,000 people, primarily in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone,” the AP reported.
The current outbreak is being caused by Bundibugyo virus, one of the viruses capable of causing Ebola disease, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“The outbreak is caused by Bundibugyo virus, a type of Ebola virus,” the CDC said.
U.S. health officials said Friday that they are monitoring and responding to developments surrounding the outbreak but that no cases linked to the Congo outbreak have been confirmed in the United States.
Containing the disease has been complicated by a combination of public-health, security and logistical problems.
The CDC cited limited health infrastructure, armed conflict and security concerns in affected areas, violence directed at health care personnel, shortages of personal protective equipment, frequent population movement and cross-border travel among the challenges facing response teams.
Officials have also identified mistrust of government authorities and misinformation as obstacles to efforts to identify patients, isolate infections and persuade communities to cooperate with health workers.
Those conditions can be particularly dangerous during an Ebola outbreak because rapid identification and isolation of infected patients are critical to limiting transmission.
The disease spreads through direct contact with blood or other bodily fluids from an infected person who is sick or has died from Ebola.
It does not spread through the air.
“The viruses that cause Ebola disease pose little risk to travelers or the general public,” the CDC said.
“People can get Ebola disease through contact with the body fluids of an infected sick or dead person. A person is only contagious once they begin showing symptoms of the disease. You cannot get Ebola from simply being near someone or passing them in public spaces because it doesn’t spread through the air.”
The agency’s guidance on Ebola symptoms and transmission says illness can initially resemble other infections.
Early symptoms can include fever, fatigue, aches and pains.
As the disease progresses, patients may develop vomiting, diarrhea and unexplained bleeding.
Because initial symptoms can be nonspecific, identifying Ebola infections can be difficult without laboratory testing, particularly in areas where other infectious diseases are common.
Health authorities must also trace contacts of confirmed patients and monitor them for symptoms, while ensuring that medical personnel use appropriate protective equipment when caring for infected people.
The scale of the current outbreak has intensified concern because of the combination of a rapidly growing caseload and difficult operating conditions in affected parts of Congo.
The situation contrasts with neighboring Uganda, where an Ebola outbreak has ended even as infections continue rising in Congo, as discussed in a France 24 report.
The 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak killed more than 11,000 people, primarily in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, and became the benchmark against which later Ebola emergencies have been measured.
Health officials are now warning that Congo’s outbreak could eventually exceed that toll if transmission continues at its current pace.
With thousands of infections already documented and nearly 3,000 deaths confirmed, response teams face the dual challenge of treating existing patients while attempting to interrupt chains of transmission in communities affected by violence, displacement and limited medical resources.
The CDC continues to characterize the risk to the U.S. general public as low, emphasizing that Ebola requires direct contact with infectious bodily fluids and that infected people are not contagious before symptoms begin.
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